Picker stick check for looms



Feb. 14, 19 39.

S. R: MILLER ET AL PICKER STICK CHECK FOR LOOMS Filed July 15, 1957 2Sheets-Sheet 1 5A NDY li y/LL51? l lcme M. BREE/ER Feb. 14, 1939. s. R.MILLER ET AL PICKER STICK CHECK FOR LOOMS Filed July 15, 1937 2Sheets-Sheet 2 iitiu k P -$4Nu-r R MILLER Patented Feb. 14, 1939 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE PICKER STICK CHECK FOR LOOMS Application July 15,1937, Serial No. 153,813

Claims.

This invention relates to a picker stick check r for looms and moreespecially to a check which comprises a friction clutch havingprojections extending therefrom into the path of travel of the 5picker'stick, one of said projections being engageable by the pickerstick on its backward stroke and the other being engageable by thepicker stick on its forward stroke, whereby the momentum of the backwardstroke of the stick is checked upon each pick of the loom. Theprojection which is engaged upon the forward stroke of the stickmerelyrestores'the friction clutch to nor- 'mal'position' so that theother projection will be properly positioned for the next backwardstroke of the stick. Heretofore, in many instances, a conventionalpicker stick strap has been used for checking the momentum of the pickerstick after the shuttle had engaged its picker. Since it was necessaryto make these straps from comparatively flexible material such asleather or fabric, the point where the picker stick engaged the straphad to be substantially re-enforced in order to take care of the wearand prevent short life. Also, there has been great difficulty inmaintaining a constant friction between the overlapping edges of theconventional strap since the strap would absorb humidity within the milland as a result,the yield point of the strap would vary from day to day.Due to such reasons, the conventional check strap is, to a certaindegree, unsatisfactory, and therefore shows the necessity of providingan improved check which may be easily adjusted, simple in operation andquickly installed.

It is therefore, an object of this invention to provide a picker stickcheck for looms having a I pair of projections extending outwardly froma friction clutch, one of 'said'projections being engageable by thestick upon its backward stroke to absorb the shuttle impact and theother projectionbeing engageable upon the forward stroke of the pickerstick to restore the friction clutch to normal position as the shuttleis expelled from the box.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objectswill appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is a plan view of one end of .the lay of a loom showing theinvention secured thereto;

Figure'Z is an elevation looking at the bottom side of Figure 1; V

'Figure 3 is an isometric view of the improved picker stick check; i

Figure 4 is a transverse, sectional view taken along the line 4-4 inFigure 3;

Figure 5 is a sectional, plan view taken along line 55 in Figure 2showing the position of the picker stick and check at the termination ofits extreme backward stroke;

Figurefi is a bottom plan view of the check looking upwardly, and takenalong line 6-6 in Figure 2."

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the numeral I0 denotes oneend of a conventional loom lay, which has secured to the upper portion 7thereof a lay plate I l, and upon this plate is secured a box front l2.Also, pivotally secured to the lay as at i3, is a pivoted binder l4whose face is substantially parallel to the face of box front [2;Between the box front l2 and the pivoted binder M, a picker stick l6projects upwardly, said stick having a conventional-picker ll secured onthe upper end thereof. The picker stick l6 oscillates back and forth inslot l8 which is cut in the lay l0 and the lay cap plate I I.

Due to the fact that the shuttle enters the shuttle box between the boxfront 12 and the pivoted binder M at a very rapid rate, it is necessaryto provide means for checking the picker stick l6 when the shuttlecontacts the picker and moves it to the left in Figures 1 and 2.Otherwise, the impact delivered to the picker stick I! by the shuttlewould force the picker stick l6 back against the extreme left-handportion of the slot l8 and. increase the wear and breakage of the parts.In order to provide the proper checking apparatus, a suitable U-shapedbracket 25 has its upper horizontal leg 25a secured to the lower portionof the lay ID by means of bolts I3 and 26, both of said boltspenetrating the lay plate II and lay ID, as well as slots 21 and 28 inthis horiz ontal'leg. This bracket has a vertically disposed leg 25?)and integral with the lower end of said leg is a horizontally disposedleg 25c. 'The outer end of leg 250 has an open ended slot 29 in which isadjustably secured the lower end of bolt 30.

By referring to Figures 4 and 6, it will be seen that the lower end ofthe bolt 30 has an enlarged portion 3| which is flattened upon two sidesso that this portion may be inserted in the slot 29 which rests upon theupper side of leg 25c and cooperates with washer 32 and nut 33 insecuring the bolt 30 to the bracket 25. This flange 351 has a pluralityof rivets 38 penetrating its outer edge which also penetrate disk 31,said disk being disposed on the upper side of flange 35. Secured to thisdisk is a friction lining 38 by means of the rivets 36 and additionalrivets 39 which penetrate the lining and the outer edge of disk 31.While rivets are shown for securing the parts together, it is evidentthat other means could be employed such as welding or soldering. Thefriction lining 38 might be joined to disk 31 by means of a suitableadhesive, if desired. I

It is seen from the drawings, that since the bolt 38 is fixedly securedin the stationary portion 250, and since the disk 3! and the frictionlining 38 are fixedly secured to the bolt, no rotative movement can takeplace. Bolt 30 has a squared portion 48 around which is secured a plate4|, said plate 4| having a friction lining 42 secured to the lower sidethereof by any suitable means such as rivets 43. Likewise, this disk 4|and lining 42 are fixedly secured to the bolt 30 due to the squaredportion 48 penetrating a squared hole in the disk 4|. Rotatably mountedbetween the friction members 38 and 42 and around the intermediateportion 44 of bolt 38, is a movable clutch plate 45 which is preferablymade of any suitable light weight material such as aluminum. This member45 has extending therefrom, an arm 46, which arm normally projectsoutwardly into the path of travel of the picker stick Hi. When thepicker stick l6 has moved to its forward position the arm 45 and itsassociated parts are in the position shown in Figure 1, whereas, whenthe picker stick has moved to its extreme backward position by virtue ofthe impact of the shuttle against the picker H, the arm 46 is in theposition shown in Figure 5. It should be observed that when in theposition shown in Figure l, the picker stick Hi can move backwardlywithout obstruction to engage the arm 45 and cause it to rotate to theposition as shown in Figure 5. At this time, the arm is substantially atright angles to the path of travel of the picker stick. When it hasreached this position, due to predetermined adjustment made upon thefriction embers, the impact will have been absorbed and the parts willremain in this position until the loom mechanism moves the picker stickI6 in the opposite direction to expel the shuttle from the box. When inthe extreme backward position, it will be noted that another projection48 is disposed along the forward'edge of the picker stick 3. Thisprojection is then in the path of travel of the picker stick and uponthe forward movement of the same, the projection 48 will be moved in aclockwise manner in Figure 3 to restore the arm 46 to the position shownin Figure 1. When this restoring has been effected, the projection 48 isout of the path of travel of the picker sticklfi and therefore, when theshuttle again enters-the shuttle box and forces the picker stick l6backwardly, this projection will not offer any obstruction. On the otherhand, when the picker stick rotates the arm ,46 in a counterclockwisemanner, the projection 48 will simultaneously be rotated into the pathof travel of the picker stick. In order to provide a wearing surface forthe picker stick to engage, the arm 46 and the projection 48 has beenlined with a suitable material such as a leather strip 50 which strip issecured to these members by means of screws5l.

The amount of friction produced between members 38, 42 and 45, is variedby means of a suit able dish-shaped member 55 which is mounted aroundthe upper restricted end 56 of the bolt 30, see Figure 4. The rim ofthis dish-shaped member is pressed downwardly against the top of thedisk 4| by means of a suitable washer and nuts 58 which are mountedaround the upper end of portion 56. By manipulating these nuts, theamount of pressure exerted by the member 55 upon the disk 4| may bevaried, and as a result, the friction between the friction members 38,42 and 45 will likewise be varied.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferredembodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed,they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only, and not forpurposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth inthe appended claims.

We claim:

1. A picker stick check for looms comprising a bracket secured to thelay of the loom and having a portion extending horizontally beneath oneside of the lay and to one side of the line of travel of the pickerstick, a vertically disposed bolt mounted in said bracket for adjustmentin a horizontal plane, a pair of spaced friction disks one of saidfriction disks being loosely mounted on said bolt and the other frictiondisk being fixed to said bolt, a plate member disposed between saidfriction disks and having an arm extending therefrom into the pathtravelled by the picker stick, resilient means for applying pressure toone of said friction disks and said plate member to retard movement ofthe plate member, said plate-member also having a projection thereonadapted to be engaged by the picker stick and moved out of the path ofthe picker stick to reset the plate member to a position where said armwill engage said stick when the stick travels in the opposite direction.

2. A picker stick check for looms comprising a bracket secured to oneside of the lay of the loom, a plate member frictionally mounted on saidbracket and having a pair of spaced projections of different lengthsdisposed in the path of the picker stick whereby the picker stick willbe checked in its travel in one direction by the longer projection andduring its initial travel in the other direction will engage the shorterprojection and move it out of the path of the picker stick and re-setthe frictionally mounted member.

3. A picker stick check for looms comprising a member mounted on the layof the loom and having an arm projecting into the path of travel of thepicker stick as it travels in one direction, frictional means resistingmovement of the member by engagement by the picker stick and aprojection on said member of shorter length than the arm and adapted tobe engaged by the picker stick upon its initial movement in the otherdirection to move the projection out of the path of the picker stick andto move the member to a position where said arm will be engaged by thepicker stick upon the picker stick being moved in said one direction.

4. A picker stick check comprising an oscillatable member having an armdisposed in the path of movement of the picker stick as it travels inone direction, and having a projection thereon of shorter length thanthe arm and engageable by the picker stick during its initial movementin the other direction to move the projection out of the path of travelof the picker stick and reset the member so that said arm will again beengaged by the picker stick to arrest the same.

5. In a loom having a lay, and a picker stick for propelling andreceiving a shuttle in said lay, means for arresting the movement ofsaid picker stick upon the reception of a shuttle comprising a frictionclutch carried by said lay, said clutch having a projection extendingtherefrom normally engageable by the back edges of said stick whenreceiving a shuttle, a shorter projection extending from said clutch andmovable into the path of the front edge of said stick, as the pickerstick is arrested by the first projection, whereby the engagement of thefirst projection will retard the momentum of the stick and theengagement of the shorter projection during the initial movement of thepicker stick during a pick will restore the first projection to normalposition and remove the shorter projection out of the path of travel ofthe picker stick.

6. In a loom having a lay, and a picker stick for propelling andreceiving a shuttle in the lay, means for arresting the movement of saidstick upon the reception of a shuttle comprising a friction clutchcarried by said lay, said clutch having a projection extending therefromnormally engageable by the back edge of said stick when receiving ashuttle, a second shorter projection extending from said clutch andmovable into engagement with the front edge of said stick, whereby theengagement of the first projection will retard the momentum of the stickand the engagement of the second projection during initial pickingmovement of the picker stick will move the second projection out of thepath of travel of the picker stick and will restore the first projectionto normal position, and means for varying the frictional resistance'ofsaid clutch.

7. A picker stick check for looms comprising a plate mounted foroscillatory movement in a substantially horizontal plane, friction meansnormally retarding oscillatory motion of the plate in both directions,said plate having a pair of projections thereon extending into the pathof travel of the picker stick and being spaced from each other adistance substantially that of the depth of the picker stick, oneprojection being adapted to be engaged by one edge of the picker stickwhen moved by the impact of an incoming shuttle and whereby the otherprojection will be moved into close proximity to the other edge of thepicker stick, so that when a picking operation is carried out, thepicker stick will engage the second projection upon its initial pickingmovement and will re-position the plate to cause the first-namedprojection thereon to be in position for engagement with the pickerstick upon its next motion.

8. In a loom having a shuttle box provided with a slot and a pickerstick mounted for oscillatory movement in said slot, means for arrestingthe travel of the picker stick when moved outwardly in the shuttle boxby an incoming shuttle, said means including a verticallydisposed boltmounted for horizontal adjustment with respect to the slot in theshuttle box and being disposed below and to one side of said slot, afriction disk mounted on and secured to said bolt, a plate disposed onsaid friction disk and loosely mounted on said bolt, a second frictiondisk loosely mounted on said bolt and resting on top of said plate,spring means for moving said second friction disk and said plate towardthe first friction disk, said plate having a long projection and a shortprojection thereon, the long projection projecting entirely across saidslot and being engageable by the picker stick when impelled by anincoming shuttle to stop said picker stick while the long projection isdisposed substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of theslot and to cause the short projection to be disposed immediately infront of the picker stick, so that upon the initial movement of thepicker stick in a picking motion the picker stick will engage said shortprojection and reset the plate to Where its long projection will engagethe picker stick in its return movement upon receiving the next impactof the incoming shuttle.

9. A check for an'cscillating picker stick in looms comprising a platemounted for oscillatory movement in a substantially horizontal plane,friction means normally retarding oscillatory motion of the plate inboth directions, said plate having a pair of projections thereonextending into the path of travel of the picker stick and being spacedfrom each other a distance substantially that of the depth of the pickerstick, one projection being adapted to be engaged by one edge of thepicker stick when moved in one direction and whereby the otherprojection will be moved into close proximity to the other edge of thepicker stick, so that when the picker stick is moved in a reversedirection, the picker stick will engage the second projection upon itsinitial movement and will reposition the plate to cause the first-namedprojection thereon to be in position for engagement with the pickerstick upon its next motion.

10. A check for a picker stick in a loom, said picker stick beingmounted for oscillation in a vertical plane, comprising a plate mountedfor oscillatory movement in a substantially horizon tal plane, frictionmeans normally retarding oscillatory motion of the plate in bothdirections, said plate having a pair of spaced projections thereon ofdifferent lengths and extending into the path of travel of the pickerstick, and being spaced from each other a distance substantially that ofthe depth of the picker stick, the longer projection being adapted to beengaged by one edge of the picker stick when it is moved in onedirection to arrest motion of the picker stick and whereby the otherprojection will be moved into close proximity to the other edge of thepicker stick, so that when the picker stick is moved in the reversedirection, it will engage the shorter projection upon its initialmovement and will reposition the plate to cause the longer projectionthereon to be in position for engagement with the picker stick upon itsnext motion.

SANDY R. MILLER. VICTOR M. BARRIER.

